Role of Carboplatin in the Treatment of Triple Negative Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more prevalent in younger patients and those carrying BRCA mutations. Although the incidence of breast cancer in general has dropped during the last years, TNBC has shown a relative increase. It is recognized as a breast cancer subtype with a high risk of tumor relapse and mortality. However, patients who achieve pathological complete response (pCR) with the use of neoadjuvant treatments have better prognosis and may attain cure. The lack of effective targeted therapies makes the use of conventional chemotherapy the only alternative available to fight this disease. Since many TNBCs share at least some phenotypic characteristics with germline BRCA-mutated tumors (BRCAness) cross-linking agents, such platinum salts, are particularly useful. Recently, two randomized phase 2 clinical trials support this presumption. However, improvement in pCR rates does not come free of toxicity. Given the potential change in practice associated with the generalized use of carboplatin in the neoadjuvant setting for TNBC patients, the aim of this review is to discuss the benefits as well as the potential drawbacks linked with the use of this strategy.